1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to mounting devices for securing a tailgate to a pick-up truck, and more particularly to a mounting system for a tailgate which permits that tailgate to be advantageously stored and utilized upon the top ends of sidewalls of the pick-up truck.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Pick-up trucks utilize a tailgate at the rear of the cargo bed which is pivotably mountably to the sidewalls of the cargo bed. When in the up position, the tailgate serves as rear sidewall of the cargo bed. When in the down position, the tailgate is out of the way for loading and unloading of the cargo bed.
While the tailgate is clearly an important part of a typical pick-up truck, its use is not entirely with out compromise. One major compromise is that of fuel economy. When a pick-up truck is operating at highway speed with the tailgate in its up position, considerable wind-drag is generated which is definitely noticeable to the driver. Operation of the pick-up truck with the tailgate in the down position is not safe, and the removal of the tailgate, while facilitated by quick connection fittings presently in use, is of dubious value as the tailgate must be stored somewhere and may not be available when it is needed.
In the prior art there have been variously successful attempts at solving the tailgate wind-drag problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,601 to Smith, dated Feb. 8, 1983, discloses a tailgate which is pivotable not only outwardly away from the cargo bed, but is mounted so as to also be pivotable into the cargo bed. Retainers hold the tailgate downwardly against the cargo bed floor, thus minimizing wind-drag when the tailgate is not needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,759 to Wine, dated Oct. 9, 1984, discloses a tailgate which is mounted with respect to the sidewalls so that it may be pivoted not at the bottom edge, but rather nearer a mid-point position. By positioning the tailgate to have a selected angle with respect to the cargo bed floor, air flow can be controlled and wind-drag thereby reduced.
It has also become increasingly popular for pick-up truck driver's to abandon their conventional tailgates in favor of a plastic tailgate substitute, wherein the tailgate substitute is constructed in the form of a large spaced netting of vertical and horizontal strips. The spaces between plastic vertical and horizontal strips serve to allow air to pass through so as to reduce wind-drag.
While each of the foregoing device are aimed at reducing wind-drag associated with tailgates, none provides a solution that works with a conventional tailgate.
Further, the tailgate in the up position blocks a substantial area of view of the driver when backing-up the pick-up truck. Driving with the tailgate down is not proper, so drivers are left to simply deal cautiously with this danger.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a mounting system for a conventional tailgate that is capable of situating the tailgate so as to minimize drag, improve drive rearward visibility, and at the same time provide effective use of the tailgate.